WILLIAM RODGERS

1928 - 2021

William L. Rodgers  Former USAID official  
Passed away February 20, 2021 at the age of 93 at Country Meadows Residence in York, Pennsylvania. Rodgers, a senior agricultural officer, worked for USAID from 1966-1982, heading agricultural programs in Peru and Brazil and later working in Washington, DC, where he was responsible for the agency's agribusiness and rural development projects. After retiring from USAID, he worked as a consultant and project manager for USAID projects in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Guatemala. Prior to joining USAID, Rodgers was the deputy director of the Peace Corps program in Colombia from 1963 to 1966, during which he helped manage a team of over 700 volunteers. Born in New York City in 1928, Rodgers grew up in California and Connecticut. Upon graduating from high school in 1946, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. After being discharged, he earned a BS in Animal Science at the University of Connecticut. While there, he met and married Maria Arce Fernandez, a young Chilean student studying at Connecticut College in New London. The couple settled in Ridgefield, Connecticut while Rodgers worked for Swift and Company but they later moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended the Thunderbird School of Global Management. With his business degree, he took a job with the American Foreign Power company in Santiago, Chile, in 1956. In 1961, Rodgers moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he set up a cattle feeding business. He ran the business until mid-1963, when he joined the Peace Corps. A man of many interests who read voraciously, especially biographies and history books, he enjoyed talking about current events and international affairs. He will be missed by his three children, Bill, Linda and Marion Rodgers and his three beloved grandchildren: Matthew and Alysia Rodgers and Anna Suben. He is survived by his ex-wife, Maria, and his sister, Kari Urbowicz, of Mystic, CT. No services scheduled. Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to a fund for the Country Meadows personal care staff: Co-Workers Foundation, Country Meadows, 2760 Pine Grove Road, York, PA 17403.